Today we’d like to introduce you to Minh Nguyen.
Hi Minh, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started training in martial arts at the age of 12 years old. I’ve always dreamt of opening my own school one day. I did Olympic-style Taekwondo for 10 years before going off to college. During senior year of college was when I first discovered my love for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. So I came across a video of two athletes fighting in Japan one day right? It was Akiyama vs Manoeff. So in that fight Manoeff was tearing up his Japanese counterpart. I thought Akiyama lost for sure, but out of nowhere he turned the tide of battle in his favor and submitted Maneoff and won. I thought to myself I have to learn this art. Fast forward, I start to search for gyms near me. It led me to a traditional school; then a Gracie owned gym; and finally to my current Professor, Pablo Silva where I stayed the longest and eventually got my black belt after 9 years of training. In late 2019, I wanted to open my own academy, but unfortunately, the pandemic happened and that pushed me back about 3 years. Here I am taking a risk from my stable job to a career I’ve been obsessing over for over 20+ years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No way was it ever smooth. COVID hurts so many businesses and mine was no exception. My own training took a hit too since during those times competing and traveling were difficult. There were so many restrictions and regulations. My professor always told me to keep moving forward and I’m glad he instilled those lessons into me early on.
As you know, we’re big fans of Aspire Jiu-Jitsu. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I teach purely “Gi” Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. My teammates and I are competition focused. We would not give each other an easy time and always kept each other on our toes.
What sets my school apart from other schools is I genuinely do care about my students’ progress. I would not show them something I would never do myself. I tried to take lessons from what I’ve learned over the years and instill what I believe are good moral character for my students.
My brand is an iceberg. Which represents what people see on the surface, but no one can really tell what’s below the depth of what you went through. No one cares about your late hours, your failures, your sacrifices, all they care is seeing success. So that’s what I want my brand to represent; to work below the surface and not worry about what people see.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is nothing if you never fail. Failing keeps you humble, keeps you hungry, but it also can break you. That’s why success doesn’t mean glory alone, for me what defines success is conquering your demons (whatever that may be) and failing again and again until all you have left to do, is succeed.
Contact Info:
- Email: Aspirebjj@gmail.com
- Website: www.aspirejiujitsu.
com - Instagram: @aspirebjj
- Telephone: (832) 535-2959
